Carlsen – Karjakin Game 7

Half time at the world championship in New York. Let’s start all over again in a 6-game-match for the title.

@samualmaxton: “Excited to travel to NYC tomorrow for the match. I was worried that halfway through it would already be decided. Wrong!”

I hope Sam has a ticket: @stefanloeffler:“Tickets for Carlsen Karjakin sold out until game ten and eventually until the world championship is decided.”

Rest day

There was a rest day on Saturday in New York, but there was plenty of chess to follow all around the world: the The FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Khanty-Mansiysk, the World Senior Championship in Marianske Lazne, a spa town in the west of the Czech Republic near the German border or the German Bundesliga with many strong 2700+ players. What about the Indian Championship in Lucknow?

@nigelshortchess:”Utter chaos in the Indian Championship, with 5 of the 14 participants withdrawing due to the lack of a venue”.

Our man in India, @reachsvara, who has ears and eyes everywhere, is not surprised: “Searching for Toilet in 1991, Searching for Food in 1998, Searching for Tiger (Yes, there was a REAL tiger around!) in 2006… :-)”

Let’s move a couple of time zones to New York. Press officer Anastasiya Karlovich took the opportunity to go to the movies: @nastialkarlovich: “Magnus” in NYC cinema – could not miss it))! Special thanks to filmmaker @Benjamin_Ree”.

Other officials and players played a couple of chess games on the rest day: @chess24com“: Hard not to feel a bit sad for all the chess hustlers in New York parks now getting hustled by visiting professionals :)”

Now let’s go to the tweets of game number seven.

@rationalcolonel: “It has been an engrossing match so far with some tremendous games, but what the match needs now is a decisive result in Game 7.”

Do we really need a decisive result? A draw can be exciting as well, what do you think, @tiltchess:“I love watching quality chess and someone winning doesn’t necessarily make it more exciting for me. #keepthedrawscoming”.

No 1.e4 today, no Ruy Lopez, but something completely different! Stuart Conquest aka @stuthefox: “It’s difficult to explain to a non-chessplayer that sometimes the very first move can be exciting!”

@robertris: Who would have guessed it would be a Chebanenko Slav today? 🙂 @unudurti: “PH Nielsen did an insane amount of work for Anand with the Slav, so this makes sense…sort of.”

Top GM Teymur Rajabov is not impressed with the opening of the game@rajachess: “Could be just dried out at home, with no blah-blah-blah needed.”

What do you think, @TarjeiJS:“I doubt Carlsen was anywhere close to getting a heart attack by Karjakin’s opening preparation today either”. @Silvio Danailov : “It’s amazing how poor is the opening preparation of Sergey Karyakin with white. What the hell is doing his team of seconds”.

@GiddisnSteve:It’s really great to see Ulfie playing Salo Flohr in a World Championship match. Oh, wait a moment…

Exciment on Twitter: Magnus drops a pawn!

@nigelshortchess: I just knew Magnus was going to play 19…Bf6! He is heading for a crappy but (probably) drawn ending a pawn down

@nf3nc6: “Carlsen is getting ready for a Magnus grind now. Just that he will be on the receiving end today..”

@GMlars: “Strange play from both players. From slightly better to slightly worse for Carlsen. Should still be drawish, though”.

@tylervsnyc: Let’s see if Carlsen can pull a Karjakin…

Yes he can! Another draw was agreed: @robertris: “Possibly the worst game so far!”

@sjakkerle: Carlsen hasnt had a row of draws this long since 09. Karjakin: July. No question for whom this is most frustrating.”

@danielrensch received a message from Hikaru Nakamura: “Who knows, maybe they’ll draw all 12 games and kill classical chess once and for all.” -@GMHikaru texting me. Had to share.”

@joshfriedel:“Carlsen seems to lack his usual precision in this match, which makes me realize just how special a quality it was.”

Perhaps the next world championship will be more exciting. What’s your take, @olympiuurcan: “On the positive side, Karjakin is offering us a pretty good preview of a potential Carlsen v Giri world title match”.

One last tweet for today: what do you think of a future match , anishgiri?” I should stop tweeting”.